The food industry has endeavored to develop high protein, low cost, chewy proteinaceous product as a substitute or an extender for meat products. For the past decades, extensive variations in technique and formulation have been developed depending upon the meat product to be simulated.
An early method for producing simulated meat is the fiber spinning technique, which resembles the spun fiber method of making synthetic textile fibers. In this method, an alkaline protein solution is prepared which is extruded through spinnerettes into an acidic coagulating bath which causes precipitation into a filament form. These filaments are assembled into a meat analog by use of binding materials.
Details regarding the techniques are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,682,466, granted June 29, 1954, to Boyer; and 3,482,998, granted Dec. 9, 1969, to Carroll, et al. Another method to obtain chewy meat analog is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,802,737, 2,813,024, 2,813,025, 2,830,902 and 2,883,651, granted to Anson and Pader.
The process is characterized by forming a solution of protein which is then precipitated under agitation at elevated temperature by lowering the pH of the solution to about 6.0. The resulting precipitate may then be admixed with a binder and stirred into a uniform piece which can be shaped into any form desired, such as strands. The resultant strands are autoclaved to give rise to the chewy protein mass.
Rusoff et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,395, patented July 31, 1962, has disclosed a process for preparing a meat-like protein product having a shred-like texture. In this process, hydrated protein material is rapidly heated to a temperature of 300.degree.-400.degree. F. with agitation, then resulting oriented and coagulated protein material is cooled as rapidly as possible.
Technique predominant for these years is thermal plastic extrusion process, in which a mixture of a protein material, water, flavorings and other ingredients are extruded at very high temperatures and pressures. As the extrudate enters into a medium of reduced pressure (usually atmospheric), it expands to form a fibrous cellular structure. On rehydration, texturized vegetable protein (TVP) thus prepared possesses an appearance and mouthfeel similar to cooked meat pieces. Patents disclosing thermal plastic extrusion techniques for the formation of TVP meat analog are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,770, granted Jan. 6, 1970, to Atkinson; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,858, granted Feb. 24, 1970, to Jenkins. TVP is commercially available in various forms such as particles, grits, granules, fibrous extrudate chunks or fibrous extrudate shreds. These particles or pieces must be assembled into familiar meat forms to provide meat analog products.
Heretofore, a variety of techniques to obtain various meat analog products like hamburger patty, beef chunk, loaf, sausage and so forth have been disclosed. Details regarding the techniques are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,061,784, granted Dec. 6, 1977, to Youngquest, 4,376,134, granted Mar. 8, 1983, to Kumer, and 4,495,205 granted Jan. 22, 1985, to Brander, et al.
However, no known process has been developed which allows the ad libitum production of various types of meat analogs which are low in cholesterol, have the appearance and the eating quality quite similar to those of real meat products. Especially, the development of a production method for simulated meat block, from which chunk, strip, cube, or slab can be cut off without restraint, expands the culinary uses.
According to the present invention, a wide variety of products may be made with a relatively simple process. For example, all-vegetable meat analogs which resemble hamburger patties, meat loaves, hams, and sausages, as well as cooked meat blocks of mammals, fowl, or fish are prepared easily.
The present invention utilizes a binder system and a novel process which enables the development of a texture even more closely resembling that intended to be simulated.
Further objects and advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description of this invention.